Would You Like A Cookie?
by Destiny-Scouts
Summary: It's Robin's nineteenth birthday and he gets a little surprise from a certain Tamaranian...A small choking situation gets out of hand and Robin ends up locking himself in his room, vowing to never come out. Can Starfire coax him out? Complete! -Neriede
1. Part I

Just a little something I thought up while eating cookies. Just so that you know, in this story the Titans are around nineteen. 

**Would You Like A Cookie?**

It was raining outside.

_Dear Diary,_

The sky was gray and occasionally a sudden streak of light would burst across the sky high above the city. 

_Today we are planning a most wondrous surprise for Robin! There is going to be…_

Although it was dreary and wet outside, the interior mood of Titan Tower did not reflect its slow air. Perhaps had there been a raging thunderstorm, the mood would have been more suited.

_…and also great tasting food! Beastboy and Cyborg are doing the helping with Raven in the kitchen as I write! I can smell the lovely aromas from up here and…_

"Dude! It's burning! Cyborg, get it out of the oven!" a flour covered Beastboy yelled through the blackening smoke seeping out of the oven.

A black force covered the door before Cyborg could reach it.

_…and Robin will be so happy! I wonder where he has gone off to? Oh well, I will most certainly be seeing him at his surprise!_

_Love,_

_Starfire_

"I told you to keep an eye on it! Now it's all black and burnt!" Raven poked at the charcoal object (that was the best way to classify it) as if it would rear up and attack.

It was actually more likely to crumple into a pile of sorry ashes, but somehow it still stood.

"We need to make a new one." Raven decided out loud.

"But we don't have any more of the ingredients! _Somebody_ forgot to pick them up at the store." Beastboy emphasized his "somebody" to mean Cyborg, who in turn gave him a small whap on the head.

"Ow!"

"What're you ya'll pointing at me for? You were the one on oven duty!"

"But that doesn't mean I was in charge of it!"

"Yes it does!"

They glared at each other for a good three seconds before Raven said her bit, "Enough! We'll just have to use to use this one."

She gingerly picked the tray up, "Let's get to work. We have half an hour to make this look normal."

The boys gawked at the thing. Somehow making _that_ look normal seemed impossible.

§ § §

Robin sat in his room. Papers surrounded the computer he worked at in a hectic sort of manner. Slade's old mask hung on the wall nearby, appearing to watch him in the darkness as he feverishly typed. That didn't bother him; Slade had long been defeated. Out of his ashes had risen a more mysterious competitor, who had only revealed himself so far as The Forgotten.

Robin was sure that this wasn't his real name, and it was this reason, along with several strange disappearance involving people who would just suddenly just vanish, with only a scrap of paper with the words: The Forgotten written on them left behind, that Robin was completely engrossed in uncovering who he was. A fork of lighting struck the sky, briefly lighting up the room and snapping Robin's attention away from the screen.

"Oh. It's raining." he hadn't noticed with his eyes practically glued to the monitor.

His gaze fell upon a plate on his desk. It lay on top of a mess of papers, relatively full of cold cookies that Starfire had baked for everyone hours earlier. He picked one up and bit into it, the taste still delicious despite it's temperature. Star had become quite skilled with an oven, although the stove and microwave were still another matter entirely. She was learning though, along with her knowledge of Earth culture, which she had recently started to get a grip on.

Another flash of light and a knock at his door ensued as he gulped down the remainder of the cookie.

"Come in."

The door slowly opened to reveal Starfire, a huge smile on her face.

"Oh, hey Starfire. Anything wrong?" he asked, despite the fact that her grin was a lot wider than usual.

"Nothing! Nothing is wrong! In fact, nothing is so wrong that I want you to come downstairs with me!" her smile widened and Robin's heartbeat started going crazy.

He really did like Starfire, very much in fact, and for one wild moment he had thought that her words had had a hidden meaning. After all, going downstairs? The huge grin on her face?

No he thought as his heartbeat lowered disappointedly, Star's just being Star."Uh…sure. What for?"

"Come and you will see!" and with this she grabbed him by the wrist and lurched him unexpectantly forward out the door.

"Whoa, wait! I didn'twhere are we going?"

She merely giggled loudly and propelled them down the stairs even faster.

And then he realized, _She's touching me._

All of a sudden his cheeks flamed red and an explosion of prickling sensations spread from his wrist and up his arm and chest where his racing heart was thumping painfully against his ribs. A twisting, uncomfortable feeling surrounded his stomach, and for some reason, he liked it. He liked having Starfire's hand wrapped around his wrist and the heat running through his veins. He liked being pulled along at the alien's unearthly speed, even if he felt like the circulation was going to get cut off from his fingers, his mind fazing in and out without oxygen from his lack of breathing. To tell the truth, he loved it.

They neared the end of the steps, the lights continually dimming the farther they descended until they were shrouded in almost complete darkness. Robin was pulled around a few corners before he heard Starfire open a door and laugh once more, her laugh ringing in his ears. Where the door led to, he couldn't tell in the darkness.

"Where are we?"

He felt her fingers slip away from his arm, a sort of coldness piercing the spots on his skin where they had been, as if missing the contact.

"Starfire?" he called out.

No answer. He took a step forward and fumbled into something hard, the back of the couch; from this he gathered that he must be in the main room. But what would Starfire be planning in the main room? And in the dark no less.

"Star?"

All of a sudden the lights went up and he blinked in shock as he heard, "SURPRISE!"

When his eyes adjusted his saw the other Titans around him, a table stacked with food close by as they shouted, "HAPPY 19TH BIRTHDAY!"

At first he looked taken aback but he looked at them strangely, his brow arched questioningly, "It's not my birthday today."

Beastboy laughed, "Yes it is! You've been so busy that you forgot your own birthday."

"But nobody can forget their own birthday."

"Well apparently you did." Raven's raspy voice objected to his statement as she pushed a tray of something oddly shaped and smothered in blue and white icing into his hands.

He set the tray down defiantly and pulled out his communicator, "But I was born on June 26th. Today is…" he flipped it open and pushed a button, upon which the words: July 26, 2021 flashed up at him, "…the 26th." (a/n: I have no idea of his real birth date. I thought June 26th was a reasonable date for Robin. Don't ask me why.)

He stared stupidly at the screen, contemplating with his eyes wide open. He'd forgotten his birthday. His _own_ birthday!

Beastboy appeared over his shoulder, read the date as proof, and said in a victorious sort of way, "Told ya'."

"I can't believe…I forgot…my own…"

"Do not feel so bad Robin! You have been so busy with working on figuring out The Forgotten, it was simply impossible to remember!"

Robin smiled slightly. Starfire's words made him feel a little bit better. He laughed with everyone else as he grabbed a fork, his cheeks somewhat pink at the thought of forgetting something so obvious, and sliced a piece of what he identified to be his cake and bit off a chunk. And almost gagged.

"Robin? Are you alright?"

He coughed between words, banging on his chest with his fist, "Yeah…I'm…fine—"

He started coughing even more vigorously to the point where Star started hysterically whacking at his back.

"Robin! Can you breathe!"

To be perfectly honest, he had been doing a lot better before the whacking.

Starfire hittingplus Tamaranian strength equals even more hacking

"S-star, I'm o-okay. Just s-top—"

Of course by this point Starfire was too frantic to listen; she was focusing on getting Robin to breathe.

_Oh please breathe, please breathe again. My current actions aren't doing anything! I need to do something to help him! Anything! Anything at all…_

So she did. And everyone froze. 

§ § §

He felt like he was going to be sick, and it wasn't entirely the cake's fault. He ran up the stairs that he had enjoyed speeding down just only a small while ago, almost tripping the last step. Why did that have to happen? _Why?_ Why hadn't Beastboy kept his mouth shut?

Robin would have made a mental note to bash in his green head later, had his mind not been occupied with glazing, wild, incomplete, jumpy thoughts. To sum it up, he couldn't think straight. All he knew was that he felt like he was going to die. He reached his room and slammed it shut, locking it straight away before he slumped to the floor in a heap.

Within the muddled mess that was his brain, he managed to pull up one intact thought,_ It's over. I'm never coming out of this room.

* * *

_

And so concludes our story……just kidding! I'm not going to leave it hanging here forever! At least not for forever….I might leave you hanging onto that cliff for a while. -/-grins-/- This is only part one of a three-parter, and I've already started up the second part, so yeah……well, you've read the first part. Now review! Please….?


	2. Part II

Second part in this three parter! I really like how this is going! Now I just have to get off my lazy butt and write the last part. Thanks for the reviews! And again to note, in this story the Titans are around nineteen years old. (Oh, and sorry Bree-2006; I didn't know his birthday so yeah…-/-grins apologetically-/-) Thanks to all who reviewed! I didn't think I'd get that many on the first chapter:)

Would You Like A Cookie? Part II

So she did. And everyone froze. Robin felt like he was frozen, unable to move from the shock of what Starfire was now doing. She had placed her hands on the sides of his head, upon which with fearful realization he felt her pull his head toward her own and place her mouth on his, where she proceeded to blow air into his lips. It was almost like being paralyzed, in the sense that he couldn't move, but he was far from not being able to feel anything.

In fact wait a second HE WAS KISSING STARFIRE! He was suddenly awoken to the true proximity of his situation. Sure Star thought she was doing something helpful but what she had in mind, what she thought_ she was doing, was definitely _not_ what she _was_ doing. And he couldn't move. Not a single part of him could either hold her tight and never let go (which he wanted to do _so_ badly) or pry himself away from her and tell her he was alright (which he knew he _should_ have done about twenty seconds ago) and that he was able to breathe again. _

But he couldn't. An adrenaline rush coursing through him and still he couldn't move at all. And right then and there he felt like the stupidest person on Earth, kissing the most beautiful girl in existence.

thoughtnotwassoshould 

§ § §

"Oh dear."

"How bad is he?"

Raven shook her head from the aftereffect of entering Robin's mind, "He doesn't want to come out. He's got some stupid plan to stay in his room forever."

"What about food?" Beastboy almost shouted.

Raven glared at him, "You stay out of this. It's your fault in the first place."

He held a finger up, "No it isn't! How is this my fault?"

"_You_ burnt the cake. _You_ broke out in laughter and began taking pictures with the camera that was _supposed_ to be used for the party. _You_ blurted out—"

"Okay!" he obediently shrank behind the sofa.

"I shall bring him his food!" Starfire volunteered determinedly.

"Star, I don't think that's such a good idea." Cyborg cautioned.

Starfire sighed, rubbing her arm where it had hurt after she fell, "I do not understand. Please tell me why it is such a bad idea."

Beastboy's head popped up from behind the cushions, "Because you kissed him Star. It's as simple as tha—augh!"

With a sound THWACK Beastboy was thrust up and pressed against the ceiling encased in a black glow.

"I was not attempting a kiss!"

"But you had your lips on his and everything!" Cyborg remarked.

"Are you not supposed to blow into one's mouth when one cannot breathe?"

They started at her blankly before Raven said, "He didn't need CPR Star…and even if he did you would have been doing it all wrong."

"Is that what it is called?" she asked innocently before an enthusiastic yell from above answered.

"That wasn't CPR! That was a full-fledged kiss! You. Kissed. Robin. Augh! Okay, I'll stop!" the aura around him grew smaller, squeezing him into a tighter space.

Cyborg looked up at him and said, "You're just asking to be hurt today aren't you?"

"Eh he he…" he sweat dropped and smiled before asking, "Can I come down now?"

§ § §

Robin didn't care as he felt Raven slip out of his thoughts. Let them know he wasn't coming out. They'd find out sooner or later. He leaned his head back and sighed, stared pathetically at the ceiling. Things could have gone a lot better.

_CLICK! FLASH!_

_"Ha! I guess Robin didn't have to blow out the candles to get his birthday wish!" _

The changeling's laugh seemed to break him out of his state of immobility and in one swift (although it seemed to take forever) movement and an everlasting moment-capturing flash that caught the action, he ripped apart from Star, pushing her away from him. Then he watched in horror has she fell backwards, his reflexes for some reason not working and not telling him to catch her. She hit her arm on the sofa on the way down and before she hit the floor he had already high-tailed out the room.

What kind of idiot was he? He banged the back of his head on the door repeatedly. So what if he turned paler than a vampire holed up in here? So what if he'd starve eventually if he didn't leave the room? So what if Starfire never spoke to him again?

Okay, so he did care about that last one. He stopped banging his head and closed his eyes, thinking of possible escape through his window.

_Now you're just being paranoid._

Had he really been reduced to this? Moping in his room to never venture out again? Still…he'd got to kiss Starfire, something he thought he'd never in a million years have the courage to do. He let his mind drift.

He had been afraid, those seconds when she had grabbed him. He'd yearned of that instant, dreamed of it in his sleep and when it had finally come, he had been afraid. Scared because he knew that after it ended him and Starfire wouldn't be the same. He had been scared that their friendship would be gone if he did something stupid. And something stupid indeed he had done.

"Robin?"

He jumped and bumped his head harder than before, "Ow! Who is it?"

First silence, then a small voice, "I brought you some cookies. They're fresh and still warm."

He blinked and heard a clink of porcelain on tile as Starfire said, "If…if you don't want to come out right now you can…come out after I go. I'll leave them here."

His breathing was raged as he listened to the awkward silence that floated between them.

"Robin please say something."

He breathed even more rapidly as he tried to say something but his mind was wiped blank on things to possibly say. Seconds passed and those turned into a minute before he thought of something. How about, "I love you."?

He gulped and opened his mouth, "Star, I—"

"Yes?" hope rose in her voice, _Please say you'll come out._

He'd stopped breathing. His voice was trapped in his throat and time ticked by slowly before he caught the sound of her footsteps fading away, a disappointed air about them. A few seconds later the door of Robin's room could be seen creaking open, the plate no longerthere after it closed again.

§ § §

It had been days since Robin had retreated to his new habitat. She had delivered all his meals and left them at his door; at exactly 1:30 every day she'd also bring a plate of cookies. Each and every single time without fail they'd exchange the same words after she had set the meal down.

He'd say, "Star, I—"

She'd always be hopeful, "Yes?"

And each time she'd always be left with brooding silence that wrenched at her heart. She never stopped hoping whenever she stopped by with a meal, but it was becoming habit to carry a little more doubt each time she treaded up the stairs to his room. Perhaps all that Beastboy had told her, that Robin liked her more than he let catch on, was wrong? Maybe he had been he had been misinformed?

"Starfire, are you alright?"

"No friend Raven. I wish Robin would come out again."

Raven sat down on a chair and faced the troubled girl. Starfire had her elbows on her knees, propping her head on her hands and staring out the window. It was strange…the past few days had gotten everyone thinking, even Beastboy which didn't happen very often, and Raven had…let's say realized a few thing. Robin had always been there, near her, teaching her Earth's ways, making sure she wasn't hurt. The more she thought about it, the more she kept coming back to the same question. Robin loved certainly loved her, but what about Starfire's feelings?

"I don't think he likes me, the way Beastboy said."

This statement took Raven aback; she had only know Star to give up hope like this once before, when Slade had been forcing Robin in apprenticeship. Her mind flitted over the memory of that time, of their battle on the rooftop of Wayne Interprises. Now that she thought about it, he had never struck her in that fight, not until her life had depended on it. He had avoided her in fact, never connecting any blows to her.

_Something needs to be done, or I'm going suffocate with the smell of cookies baking everyday._

"What about you Star?"

"Huh?" she lifted her head and looked questioningly at Raven.

"What about how you feel? About Robin."

She looked down at her feet and thought, "Well, he is always being kind to me. He always teaches me Earth ways and he…he worries about me."

She laughed, "One time, I was on the roof, doing the night gazing that I am so fond of, and I fell asleep. I awoke to find myself in this very room on this couch with a soft, warm blanket over me. I am certain it was him who moved me that night…"

This was good. If Raven could just quickly look…she was sure Star wouldn't notice if she took a small peek.

_The music was slowly playing. The waves crashed gently against the boat as they moved instep with each other in dance. Her lavender dress looked nice in the moonlight. Robin smiled softly at her and she felt fuzzy and warm all over._

Now when had that happened? Raven was sure that Starfire hadn't noticed her skimming memories, but for this particular memory to first show up…and when was that? She never remembered being told about any dance on a boat. Neither of them, Robin or Starfire, had ever mentioned a boat…wait! Kitten! The prom! And then it clicked: they had danced and not told anyone about it. 

By not telling anyone, they had kept that little moment, made it theirs, made it special. Starfire probably hadn't realized why she had never told. Not consciously anyway.

"Friend Robin is most upset and now it is my turn to worry…" Starfire had no idea what she was really saying.

"I believe you said that wrong."

"What?"

"I believe you said that wrong. I don't think Robin is just a friend to you. I think he's more than that."

"Oh…but no, not like that. I certainly love Robin as if he were my brother but—" she trailed off abruptly and gasped.

_I certainly love Robin._

Raven watched as Starfire made her own connections in her head and smiled.

"I certainly love Robin." she said it again, her eyes widened, and then she jumped, "Raven, this is wonderful! I have just realized I love Robin!"

"Then tell him. Tell him you love him."

She smiled wider and suddenly embraced Raven tightly, "Oh Raven I give you most thanks!"

And off she was like a bullet, flying up the stairs with new inspiration. Raven let go a sigh of relief as she opened another one of her books to read. Her work here today was done.

§ § §

"Robin? Robin please open the door!"

Starfire knocked eagerly on the door, utter happiness flowing through her.

"Robin, please let me in; I have something of high importance to tell you!"

What was wrong with him? Did he actually think that he could live in his room forever? Yes, he would finally come out! He could hear Starfire pounding on his door. The incident clouded in his mind and unconvinced him of his previous determination. How could he face everyone after that?

He could….he could say…um…well this was hard, thinking up a good and reasonable excuse.

"Robin?"

Gosh what was he thinking? Staying in here wasn't making anything better.

_She's probably forgotten the whole thing. That's how Starfire is, right?_

Taking in a deep breath he stepped over to his door and cautiously opened it. He saw Starfire brimming with excitement, her cheeks flushed with pink. Somewhere inside of him a feeling of ease overtook him; it was nice to see Star again and have that squirming feeling in his stomach that he always got when looking at her to settle over him again.

"H-hi Star."

Then Starfire said something that brought everything in his mind crashing down, "Robin, I love you!"

He stared at her, unable to comprehend what he had heard.

"Is it not marvelous?"

And with this he slammed the door shut in her face and locked it again, leaving Starfire shocked where she stood.

"Did…did I do something wrong?"

* * *

Phew, it's done. I finished Part II at about….3:20 a.m. and I'm surprised it didn't turn out really drippy and sappy. Usually when I stay up and write love stories they turn out sticky and sappy (which I hate). I like sappy, just not…..drippy, sticky kind of sappy. Anyways, enough of my rambling, hit review please! I'll try to get the third and last part up during Spring Break next week. 


	3. Part III

**Would You Like A Cookie? Part III**

What was _wrong_ with him? Slamming the door in her face after she'd so openly admitted something he'd wanted to hear her say since some time he couldn't even remember! First pushing her away after that kiss, and now this? What this some sort of deficiency? Was he born with it? What _was_ wrong with him!

"Robin you open up this door this instant or I swear I'll break it down and you know I can!"

Robin jumped at the beating on his door and the level of anger in Raven's voice. For her to be this angry was very dangerous and normally he would have opened the door before she caused something to explode. Never the less, today wasn't a normal day and he left the door knob untouched. Sure enough…

BAM!

Surprisingly it wasn't the door that burst into pieces, but his bed, which he had had the misfortune to be sitting on at the time. He flew shortly into the air before landing sprawling on the floor with a deserving THUMP and a promise of visible bruises in the morning.

"Robin, I know you're in there!" Raven began pounding even more vigorously, "There's a girl downstairs crying her heart out and you better have a good explanation!"

BANG!

This time a chunk of the ceiling gave way loudly in a cloud of dust, much of the debris landing closely (a little too close for comfort really) to Robin's head.

Robin, having just narrowly missed obtaining a concussion, and feeling a bit low-strung because of his ordeal, could only come up with one very sullen response:

"Go away Raven."

"Don't you dare walk away from this! You go down there right now and fix it!"

"And you expect me to just waltz down there and say sorry?"

"You have anything better to do!"

"How could you know! You're not the one whose life just came crashing down!"

"Then what have you got to lose!"

"Everything!"

"And you're not willing to risk that for Star? Coward!"

"So what if I'm a coward! So what if I'm scared that things will never go back to the way they were! You won Raven; I'm a stupid coward who can't do anything about this but hide in his room! So just leave me alone and go away!"

And it was at this point, during the awkward silence that followed, that Raven's anger vanished. It was replaced with…no, not sympathy…curiosity? Maybe she'd been going about this all wrong. From within the room came small, indistinct noises. She pressed her ear to the door and listened to…crying?

"Her tone was softer this time, "Robin?"

Quiet and mixed with tears she heard his reply, "Please…just go away."

Oh dear. This was not how she had pictured for things to turn out. _Now_ she felt pity for him. Sighing and placing her hands on the door, she slowly phased through it, so as not to alarm him. She knelt down on the floor next to Robin, putting a hand on his shoulder as she did so.

"Robin? Are you okay?"

Of course, that question was pretty redundant. Never had she seen him like this. He could lead a team of teen crime fighters, fight with them over who ate the last slice of pizza, fight bad guys and evil doers, but when it came down to matters of the heart, Robin went to pieces.

"Raven, I told you to leave me alone." He mumbled through his hands which covered his face.

"Just…let me say something first, and after that I promise I'll leave you alone."

He didn't say anything. She took this as an okay to continue.

"You love Starfire right?"

He lowered his hands and nodded.

"How much?"

He sniffed, "I'm nineteen Raven. If she'd have me I'd…I'd marry her."

Gosh that was sappy. Raven almost couldn't stand it but for the sanity of the tower she carried onward.

"So what on Earth is stopping you?"

He turned away, looking around the room as an excuse to not answer straight, "I-I don't know…"

"Yes you do. Now tell me."

"You wouldn't understand." He pushed her away in a sort of "no one would understand" manner.

Raven's lips pursed unseen under her hood. Why was it that no one thought she could understand? Just because she didn't show emotions very often didn't mean that she didn't understand how they worked. Why shouldn't she understand; she was an empathy for heaven's sake! Of course she knew exactly what was going on here!

She did have to flush herself out of all kinds of feelings everyday after all. She'd even dealt with love before, although _that_ had been a total disaster. Stupid Malchoir…

"Robin what have you to gain from shutting yourself in here?"

"Safety." He said it short and plainly.

"From what?" she asked even though she already knew.

Her goal was to get Robin to say it out loud, just as she had done with Starfire.

"From _losing_ everything."

Now they were getting somewhere!

"And that's what you're afraid of? Now tell me Robin, don't you lover her enough to risk all that?"

"But if something happens then…we'll lose more than just a chance at something great."

"And if everything goes fine then you and Starfire could possible be…" oh great, there was no way to end _that_ sentence unsappy; she couldn't bear it, "…together forever right?"

What was she saying! Together forever? That was so cliché…

"There is no way this could screw up. She loves you Robin and—look at me, _look at me_ Robin," she grabbed him by both shoulders and forced him to turn, "—you are _missing_ it."

He shoved her away as if he hadn't heard a word of it, "Are you done now?"

She stood up and stared at him. How could he still be so much in denial?

"I need…I need to think. And you promised."

Yes she had promised, and a promise was a promise. So without another word, she turned toward the door and opened it, closing it behind her to once again enclose Robin within his solitude. He was on his own now.

§§§

Things were quiet now. Starfire's crying had ceased days ago, but her now preferred silence was so unnerving that all of Titan Tower would've rather faced her tears. Like a flood, a mixture of anger and morose had spread through the other three Titans: anger because there was absolutely no reason that all of this should have been happening and morose because nobody but Robin could do anything about it and he was refusing to even speak to anyone.

The smell of cookies could be sensed drifting sadly from the kitchen oven. Starfire might have given up talking, but she hadn't given up on her now habitual routine of cooking and delivering Robin's meals.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Beastboy had asked her once.

The silence he received had been so dripping with melancholy that he had slowly edged out the door without saying anything.

While the Beastboy and Cyborg battled the urge to barrage down Robin's door (under Raven's orders), Starfire was bantering with her own battle in her head, _If only I had confessed sooner. He did not accept me because he must of…after he pushed me…he must not like me in that way anymore._

She sighed (the closest thing she did to speaking) and opened up the oven, practically life-less as she slid the cookie pan out. It was pretty depressing to watch, the reason why everyone had decided to leave her alone. Even Raven, after she had told the two boys to stay out of the matter, wasn't doing anything but meditating, hoping that soon Robin would come to his senses. With narrow, unfocused eyes, Starfire transferred the cookies to a plate, limply picked it up, and treaded up the stairs.

§§§

The three hardest things to say to anyone with true significance are:

_I need help_

_I'm sorry_

_I love you_

Robin had already screwed up his chance to say the first one when he'd rejected Raven's advice. As for the other two…

_I'm getting sick of this room…if I ever get the chance, I'm going to redecorate it until it doesn't look even _remotely_ like it does now._

He looked around his room, placing his hands behind his head as he laid down on his back. He was going to have to redecorate anyway, what with the huge hole in his ceiling. Now what color would he change the walls to? How about…purple? He pictured what his room would look like with purple walls. For some reason it made him ache inside.

_What about red?_

But that color seemed to make him feel empty.

_Green?_

This color gave him a pain in his chest, a twisting in his stomach.

_Oh shoot_ he realized,_ I can't get her out of my mind..._

He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Why couldn't this have happened some other time, like after he'd come up with a plan to sweep Starfire off her feet, unlike he'd done in reality. It wasn't fair really. It wasn't fair that it all happened on accident. He hadn't expected it to occur and he had panicked.

_This is your fault you know. If you had listened to Raven then maybe she could have forgiven you. Now it's been too long and she probably hates you._

Great, yet another predicament he'd gotten himself into. He was starting to think he was a magnet for unlucky dispositions. After all the things he'd done to her…and then a thought struck him. All that had happened more or less had taken place because he _hadn't_ done something. Something that he could still do even if it was too late.

Yes! He'd go now; get the idea out of his system before his mind took another spin and decided to change its verdict. It seemed crazy, even to himself, but then again, everybody's got to do at least one crazy thing in life right? Something close to a short adrenaline burst rushed through him as he stood up and reached for the door.

§§§

Her feet felt heavy, just as they had always felt going up those steps, going down this hallway to his room, ever since…._it_ had happened. That was all she was referring it to, she was still having a hard time swallowing that she'd been rejected. The cookies felt burdensome in her hands, as if it were a weight containing all of the problems she was struggling with in her thoughts (she probably would've fallen over trying to hold it if that was true). Staring down at the cookies didn't make her feel better and besides….she'd get the cookies wet if she hung her head over them like that. She began to lift her head, dimly aware that she could hear a clicking noise somewhere in front of her.

For several whole seconds she stopped breathing and she could've sworn that her heart had stopped as well. There he stood, just as equally surprised to see her. Whether or not he had come out to see her didn't know, but apparently he hadn't expected to see her _right_ outside his door. For awhile all they could do was stare at each other and then…

_You idiot! You made her cry!_ Robin slapped his hand on his forehead.

Starfire's tears grew more strenuous as he stood there, hitting himself on the head, blaming himself for the umpteenth time.

Through quiet sobs, her arms shaking, she held the plate out to carry out the task she had come here to do in the first place, "W-would you…would you like a cookie?"

Robin ceased bashing himself and looked at her, the small rivers running down her cheeks growing with each word. She was putting a lot of effort into just speaking and she had begun to bite her lip. Ever so carefully, he extended out his hand and picked one up gingerly, as if taking one too harshly would cause her to drop the whole plate (although she could've done that on her own what with the amount she was shaking).

This was it, "Starfire? I'm—"

He gulped. No! He couldn't get cold feet now!

She had opened her eyes now, and was looking at him through the water in her eyes still pouring out.

Come on already, he _had_ to do it or he was going to become insane with the guilt, "I'm…I'm sorry."

And she cried even harder at this. Was that it? He was sorry. Sure she was happy that he didn't hate her but what about even further than that? Did he still love her? Robin hated to see the tears stream down her face so freely but he smiled anyway, knowing what would make her feel instantly better, and cupped her cheek in his hand, wiping away the tears with his thumb.

"Starfire, will you marry me?"

At his words it seemed that a dam broke loose and Starfire cried so viciously and noiselessly that she actually trembled even more than before.

She whispered to him, "Yes please."

The plate fell to the floor and she threw herself into his arms which he immediately tightened around her. Finally! He didn't even care that his shirt was thoroughly soaked. HE'D JUST ASKED STARFIRE TO MARRY HER! AND SHE'D SAID YES!

He began to stroke her hair as the tears stopped flowing, the strands soft under his fingers, a small grin on his face, "You know Star…I don't think our first kiss was done properly."

She looked up at him, eyes sparkling.

He continued, still smiling, "I'm all up for trying again if you want."

He was aware of the distance between them growing smaller as he said this.

_Gosh, she's beautiful._

Then he was aware that there was no more space between them at all, and it was just him and her and nothing else mattered. He didn't care if they fell off the edge of the Earth like this, since really that was what it felt like. One hand had moved to her face while the other was tightening around her waist. She had hooked her arms around his neck, standing on tiptoe to do so. If Robin could smash one law of science, he'd get rid of the rule that said humans needed to breathe which, sadly, he couldn't.

They broke apart, breathing in and out deeply, not letting go of each other. They looked at each other for awhile, almost delirious with the truth that the kiss had _really_ happened and it hadn't been some dream. Starfire appeared convinced and let her eyes close, sleepy from her crying.

She rested her head on his chest where he placed a hand on the back of her head and whispered into her ear, "I love you."

He didn't mind that behind the corner of the hall, three heads peeked out, the lowest and greenest one holding up a camera and pushing the trigger. For now, he just kept holding onto the sleeping Tamaranian in his arms.

* * *

/-squeals-/- I finished it! And I couldn't stop laughing I was so hyper. I was hyper throughout the entire end of this piece and my sister wouldn't stop staring at me and edging away. Lol Hope you all enjoyed this as much as I did. Criticisms are always welcome but absolutely NO flaming me because of ship choice. If you do then I boo you! -/-sticks tongue out-/- Now I need to go and write the next chap of Duplicity's Era. See ya!

Signing off,

Neriede


End file.
